expired car seats?

What do you do with an expired car seat?
DS has a Britiax Marathon that was given to us by a friend there child never used it but the car seat will expire in a few months and I am wondering what to do with it. I cannot see throwing it out because it is in great condition.

Re: expired car seats?

That's a tough one! Is it for everyday use - or just an extra carseat?

I actually went to get extra carseats installed that were used by my nephews and the carseat people wouldn't install them bc they were expired....but they ended up giving me brand new ones out of the box for free - so I made out like a bandit!

Re: expired car seats?

Posted by Diana1215

That's a tough one! Is it for everyday use - or just an extra carseat?

I actually went to get extra carseats installed that were used by my nephews and the carseat people wouldn't install them bc they were expired....but they ended up giving me brand new ones out of the box for free - so I made out like a bandit!

Re: expired car seats?

I am not an expert, but if it hadn't been used I don't see what the big deal is. Personally, I would continue to use it.

Re: expired car seats?

anyone else???

Re: expired car seats?

Since I wouldn’t use an expired seat, I guess I’d throw it out.

I plan to throw out DD’s infant carrier when she outgrows it—it was her sister’s, so it’s 3 years old, and since I don’t know anyone who needs it, I don’t want to donate it because I’m nervous about donating car seats (not sure if they even accept donated used car seats).

edited b/c I mistyped

Message edited 12/7/2010 1:31:23 PM.

Re: expired car seats?

Just because it LOOKS like it is in great condition doesn't mean that there aren't any issues with it that could put a child at risk in a crash.

The biggest thing that speaks to me is that car seats are made of plastic and over time from being in your car in high heat and super cold, the plastic can start to break down and crack.

This is one of the reasons why they put expiration dates on the car seats.

So as much as it may pain you, I would not give an expired car seat to someone else. I would not be able to forgive myself if anything went wrong.

Car seat expiration info.

Re: expired car seats?

okay thank you! I will just throw it out when we install the new one.

Re: expired car seats?

It should be properly disposed of and no longer used once it is expired. The expiration dates are there for a reason. The plastics can degrade over time making the seat unsafe.

Cut the straps (harness, latch, tether), remove the cover (you can actually resell Britax covers on ebay there are many folks who look for specific covers, especially ones in good condition) and conceal the shell within a trash bag so no one else gets tempted to use it.

This crash test was done on a 10 year old Britax seat. The harness rips completely through the shell. The harness didn't fail, the seat did.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvCRz7BRAM0

Message edited 12/7/2010 1:34:48 PM.